CNN, January 2026
Long before any candidates have announced, the 2028 Democratic presidential race will take a crucial step forward this weekend. The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting in Puerto Rico Saturday to begin the process of deciding which states will lead off the party’s 2028 primary calendar. Final decisions are likely later this year.
The sequencing of the first states on the calendar has always powerfully shaped the race and greatly influenced which candidates emerge as serious contenders. But this year, those involved in the process say the decision feels both more unpredictable and consequential than usual. After decades when Iowa and New Hampshire were locked in stone as the initial tests, and a single cycle when South Carolina moved to the head of the line, there’s no consensus now about which state should vote first. Nor is there any single party leader with the clout to dictate a plan.
